Everyday Ethics

Jason Clegg has written a number of helpful articles on Mindful Source to help you get organized.  Simple tactics like having goals, making lists, and creating systems for getting things done can make a big difference with regard to your productivity and ability to achieve what you want to.  I’d like to add an ethical spin on this important topic and claim that being organized also matters morally.

Most will likely find this puzzling.  For many of us, being organized or not is a personal decision and, although we may not like it, the consequences of our failure to be organized are experienced by us, and make little impact on others.  However, a more careful examination will reveal that this is rarely the case, and our commitment to being morally decent people makes getting organized an important goal for all of us.

There are two significant consequences associated with not being organized.  The first, and most obvious, is the direct impact upon other people.  All of us have experienced some sort of negative consequences due to other people not being organized.  Things as simple as having to wait for a friend who is not ready to go at the scheduled time have meaningful consequences and often lead to frustration, irritation, and a change in our mood.  If we experience these consequences due to the disorganization of others, it seems that others might have the same experiences due to our lack of organization.

In addition to the obvious impact on others, there is a snowball effect that should also be considered.  We experience the negative consequences of our friend’s lack of organization, resulting in a negative attitude change for us.  This makes it more likely that we will pass our frustration and negative energy onto others, which often includes moral violations like treating others with disrespect or failing to consider their interests.  The consequences of poor planning are not always direct, but they are often morally relevant.

The significance of the effect disorganization has on our attitudes is a double-edged sword.  Not only does lack of organization affect others negatively, it also leads to internal frustration resulting from a failure to achieve our goals.  When we don’t achieve our goals, we get frustrated and upset, and this affects our behavior.  Frustrated and upset people aren’t as motivated to make the tough choices that morality requires.  The failure to achieve our goals again has decidedly moral consequences.

Those who do not think our attitudes have much to do with our behavior will likely find this argument unpersuasive.  It seems at least possible that some people can be frustrated, have bad attitudes about life, and still find a way to be moral.  Ideally, we ought to strive to do what is right even when we really don’t want to.  However, most of us do not have this degree of moral commitment, and it is crucial that our attitudes are such that we have the requisite desire to do what is right.  An important part of cultivating this attitude is making some progress in achieving what we want.  Successful people are happier, and happier people find it easier to make the hard choices that morality sometimes asks for.

About the Author

Elijah Weber is a graduate student at Bowling Green State University. He holds a Master's degree in philosophy from Colorado State University, and Bachelor’s degrees in sociology and philosophy from Chapman Univerity. He currently lives in Bowling Green, Ohio with his wife Laura, his newborn son Brandon, and his feline life-partner Monte.